C286 Asvetaesi Yu Yuan

Yu Yuan didn't spare Wei Wujiang a glance; his focus was solely on Lee Yuangui as he declared his stance.

Wei Feng, despite being gripped by the throat, showed no fear. Her eyes sparkled with unmistakable gratitude as she gazed at Yu Yuan. It seemed that she preferred the prospect of dying at Yu Yuan's hands to being taken away by her brother, Wei Wujiang.

"I..." Lee Yuangui faltered, his mouth agape, at a loss for words.

Clad in his majestic golden armor, Wei Wujiang's expression remained icy.

Wei Feng's life hung by a thread in Yu Yuan's grasp; any rash move from him could end her life in an instant. Wei Wujiang had come in person to take Wei Feng back alive; her death was not an option. Ignorant of Yu Yuan's temperament, he dared not make a careless move.

Above the Golden Ship, one after another, the generals and cultivators from the Sunblessed Empire stepped forward, revealing themselves.

A dignified and elegant woman, adorned in a silver cape with seven pythons stitched on it, emerged from the Golden Ship. With her long black hair swept up into a high bun and her sleeves billowing, she hovered in the air and, with a wave of her left hand, directed her power toward the Nimbuswing. Three of the pythons on her cape vanished as if by magic.

Bathed in the moon's glow, the divine force from all around coalesced into three dense streams of spiritual energy, each transforming into a massive python a hundred zhang in length. These serpents, as if infused with spiritual wisdom, swirled through the mist around the Nimbuswing, exuding a terrifying aura of violence and bloodlust.

Inside the Nimbuswing, every cultivator from the Silvermoon Empire discovered they were unable to draw even the slightest bit of spiritual energy from their surroundings.

The woman, exuding opulence, wore a mocking cold smile as she fixed her gaze on Lee Yuangui. A shiver ran through him as he recognized her identity, and a wry smile spread across his face.

Van Yan trembled at the sight of the regal woman, unable to hide the fear in his eyes. He urgently berated Yu Yuan, "Young man! What are you doing? Release Wei Feng at once!"

Ning Ji and Bai Shenshen, standing close to Yu Yuan and Wei Feng, were equally stunned by the unfolding scene.

How could he dare?

The nobility of the Silvermoon Empire watched in shock as Yu Yuan held Wei Feng hostage, standing off against Wei Wujiang of the Sunblessed Empire. For many, this was their first encounter with Yu Yuan; until now, they had only heard rumors about him.

Those who had met Yu Yuan recounted how, since leaving Asvetaesi, he had been reckless and audacious, completely disregarding the interests of the Empire with his arrogant and overbearing behavior.

Seeing is believing, and today they witnessed firsthand that his reputation was well-earned.

Yet, with his Golden Sanctum level of cultivation, could mere audacity really be effective against the many formidable cultivators of the Sunblessed Empire and a revered figure like Wei Wujiang?

"Old General, let me reiterate: Wei Feng was captured by me," Yu Yuan said with a smile, unfazed by the three massive pythons swirling around the Nimbuswing. He ignored the intrigued noblewoman watching him and addressed Lee Yuangui directly, "Shouldn't Wei Feng be left to my discretion?"

"Leave it to you? Are you deaf?" Van Yan exploded in rage. "The Old General has already nodded in agreement to let the Sunblessed Empire take Wei Feng back!"

Yu Yuan inhaled deeply, finally focusing his attention on Van Yan. "And you are...?" he asked pointedly.

"I!" Van Yan laughed bitterly in his fury. "When I was fighting battles for the Empire in the south and the north, you weren't even born! The Van family is a pillar of our nation. And you, a Yu family brat who can't even sell herbs, dare to speak to me like this?"

Wei Wujiang, observing someone from the Silvermoon Empire pressuring Yu Yuan, seemed less hurried.

He even stepped back, wary that Yu Yuan might snap Wei Feng's neck in a fit of rage.

Raising his hand, Wei Wujiang flashed a smug smile at Yu Yuan and declared, "If my sister suffers the slightest harm, every cultivator from the Silvermoon Empire here today will join her in death."

At these words, the previously composed crowd aboard the Nimbuswing lost their calm.

Those who had been silent, watching events unfold, now linked their own fate to Wei Feng's. They either tried to persuade Lee Yuangui or urged Yu Yuan to remain calm.

Even Van Yan's aggressive stance toward Yu Yuan suddenly seemed justified.

"Yu Yuan, you..."

The old general managed a bitter smile, feeling a sense of helplessness. Yet, considering Yu Yuan's formidable presence, he reasoned that it wasn't worth risking everyone's lives for Wei Feng alone. He attempted to reason with Yu Yuan, "Let it go. I know Zhan Tianxiang fought alongside you in the Moonfall Sanctuary. He's your most trusted battle companion."

"He's doing well now, his injuries are no longer a concern. If we leave this place, he might have already fully recovered."

Lee Yuangui believed that Yu Yuan's intervention was motivated by his friendship with Zhan Tianxiang and his desire to support him.

"She is mine."

Yu Yuan asserted once more, then turned to Wei Wujiang, "Impressive. The authentic lightning spell from the Thunder Sect suggests you're a hand-chosen disciple."

"Not just any disciple," Bai Shenshen of Sacred Hands interjected softly, "but a personal disciple of the Thunder Sect's Master. He may well have a chance to vie for the Sect Master's throne in the future."

"Oh, that explains the arrogance," Yu Yuan acknowledged with a nod.

Many prodigies from Aetherius and the Land of Quiescence became mere Outer Sect disciples after joining sects from Euwrea.

It was exceedingly rare for someone like Lin Zhuyun to be taken under the wing of a Chief Elder.

Wei Wujiang, however, was not only a direct disciple but also the personal disciple of the Thunder Sect's Master!

His future status and position in Euwrea would far surpass Lin Zhuyun's.

Being chosen by the current Sect Master of the Thunder Sect implied that Wei Wujiang's standing within the Thunder Sect might even eclipse Lei Xiao's, promising an even more distinguished future.

Hailing from the Wei family of the Sunblessed Empire, Wei Wujiang's prospects were vast, with numerous supporters both within the empire and the Thunder Sect.

"Your name is Yu Yuan, from the Yu family of Asvetaesi, correct?"

Wei Wujiang grinned, then added, "I've long admired you! Interestingly, you might not believe it, but my journey from the Sunblessed Empire was partly to see Asvetaesi for myself."

"I want to see you, Yu Yuan."

These words landed like a bombshell, leaving many aboard the Nimbuswing utterly stunned.

At that moment, the regal woman clad in a silver cape adorned with seven pythons furrowed her brows and whispered, "Asvetaesi, Yu Yuan..."

It seemed as though even she was familiar with the name.

"How does Young Master Wei know of me?" Yu Yuan inquired, puzzled.

Van Yan, who had just engaged in a heated debate with Yu Yuan, felt a sudden twist of awkwardness at Wei Wujiang's intervention.

"I've heard about you," Wei Wujiang said with a radiant smile. "Wei Feng, I must take her with me. Yu, I ask you to release her. I will escort my sister back to the Sunblessed Empire, and we shall not cross paths. I, Wei Wujiang, acknowledge that I owe you a favor. Whether you visit the Sunblessed Empire or come to the Euwrea Continent in the future, there will be a time for me to repay this debt."

His demeanor had softened remarkably.

Even those familiar with him on the Golden Ship found his change of heart astonishing.

How could the haughty Young Master Wei, the hand-chosen disciple of the Thunder Sect's Sect Master, who had come to Nimbuswing and shown little regard for Lee Yuangui, be so amiable towards a young man from Asvetaesi?

It was incredibly out of character!

"Wei Feng, I won't harm her, but neither will I let you take her."

Abruptly, Yu Yuan set Wei Feng down, no longer gripping her throat, and nodded to Wei Wujiang before turning his intense gaze to the imposing woman on the Golden Ship.

Her eyes sparkled with interest.

"Swish swish!"

The three pythons that had been gliding around the Nimbuswing inexplicably began to shrink dramatically.

The fabric of the void shifted, layer upon layer, making the distance between the Golden Ship and the Nimbuswing seem as vast as an infinite starry sea.

The elegant woman gazed at the Nimbuswing as if it were now millions of miles away, as though it had been yanked into a different temporal trajectory.

The connection between her and the pythons seemed severed in an instant.

The strands of her remnant soul, which she had covertly woven, turned into glistening threads, ruthlessly severed by an unseen force and the imperceptible edicts of the Way of Heaven.

Wei Wujiang's face paled in shock.

To him, the Golden Ship, a marvel crafted by the might of an entire nation, fluctuated between being as vast as the heavens and as minuscule as a grain of rice, an experience so disorienting it nearly induced him to retch.

He was completely unaware of what had transpired.

Only Lee Yuangui and Yan Yu, amidst the abrupt changes in the void, recalled the familiar sensation from earlier and had an epiphany.

The child, clad in black and white, who had stealthily appeared, had in fact never departed.

He had always been by the side of the Nimbuswing.

Yu Yuan spoke with detached calmness, "Master Wei, you may return now."

Wei Wujiang, bewildered and lost, nodded instinctively.

In the blink of an eye, he was startled to find himself aboard the Golden Ship, surrounded by familiar faces and objects, rather than by Yu Yuan and Wei Feng.

…